Arch Pathol Lab Med  2000 Jun;124(6):836-9 

ras gene mutations in salivary gland tumors.

Yoo J, Robinson RA.

Department of Pathology, Catholic University, St Vincent Hospital, Suwon,
Republic of Korea.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of activating mutations in K-ras and H-ras
genes in salivary gland tumors with ductal or acinar differentiation and to
evaluate their potential correlation with clinical parameters. DESIGN:
Paraffin-embedded tissue samples of salivary gland carcinomas were investigated
by the application of a direct sequence analysis procedure with automated DNA
sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified ras sequences. SETTING:
Tertiary care teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Twenty-four patients with salivary
gland carcinoma were surgically treated. Nine had adenocarcinoma, 1 had
adenosquamous carcinoma, 11 had mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and 3 had acinic cell
carcinoma. RESULTS: Point mutations were detected in 7 (29%) of the 24
carcinomas examined. The K-ras gene was mutated in only 2 samples (8%): a
GGC-to-ATC mutation at codon 13 in an adenocarcinoma and a GGC-to-GTC
transversion mutation at codon 13 in a mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Five (21%)
harbored H-ras mutations: 4 contained a GGC-to-GTC transversion mutation at
codon 12 and 1 had 2 distinct mutations, the same G-to-T at codon 12 as was
shown in the other cases and a GGT-to-GGA heterozygous mutation at codon 13. All
the H-ras mutations were in the group of mucoepidermoid carcinoma lesions (45%;
5/11). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that K-ras gene alteration is probably not
an important factor in the oncogenesis of human salivary gland tumors. However,
mutational activation of the H-ras gene appears to play a role in the
development and/or progression of salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinomas.

PMID: 10835516 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]